Supra Mahumapelo speaks on SA soldiers' return from Goma
This after completing their deployment under the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The mission was launched in December 2023 to support efforts to stabilise the region amid conflict with the M23 armed group.
Supra Mahumapelo, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, stated that they are pleased that there is agreement regarding the post-withdrawal procedure.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
6 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Rwanda exercises command and control over M23 rebels: UN experts
Armed rebels in violation of embargo, says report By Rwanda has exercised command and control over M23 rebels during their advance in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), gaining political influence and access to mineral-rich territory, according to a confidential report by a group of UN experts. The report obtained by Reuters details training which the experts say Rwanda has provided to M23 recruits and military equipment they say Rwanda has deployed — notably "high-tech systems capable of neutralising air assets" — to give the rebels "a decisive tactical advantage" over DRC's beleaguered army. The report was submitted to the UN Security Council sanctions committee for DRC in early May and is due to be published shortly, said diplomats. M23 has advanced in eastern DRC, seizing the region's two largest cities, Goma and Bukavu in January and February. DRC, the UN and Western powers say Rwanda is supporting M23 by sending troops and arms. Rwanda has long denied helping M23 and says its forces are acting in self-defence against DRC's army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The report by the UN experts said Rwanda's military support for M23 was not "primarily" aimed at addressing threats posed by the FDLR, asserting that Kigali was instead focused on "conquering additional territories". Rwanda's UN mission and a government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. US President Donald Trump's administration is trying to broker a peace deal between Rwanda and DRC that would bring billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. On Friday the Rwandan and DRC foreign ministers signed a peace deal in Washington and met with Trump, who warned of "very severe penalties, financial and otherwise" if the deal is violated. Qatar is hosting a parallel mediation effort with delegations from the Congolese government and M23. The UN report said Rwanda has hosted leaders of a rebel coalition that includes M23 at its Gabiro Training Centre and also used military centres in Nasho and Gako to train M23 recruits. Rwanda also "drastically increased" the number of Rwandan troops in eastern DRC ahead of M23's advance, according to the experts, who offered "a conservative estimate of 6,000" Rwandan troops active in DRC's North and South Kivu provinces. The UN experts also accused Rwanda of "flagrant and systematic violations" of an arms embargo, and said a likely missile attack in January on an armoured personnel carrier carrying U.N. peacekeepers — killing one and injuring four others — appeared to have been fired from a Rwandan military position. An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Rwandan troops were still active in M23-held territory when the report was drafted, and "several thousand" remained along the border ready to deploy, said the report, which covers investigations conducted up to April 20. M23's military gains earlier this year spurred fears of a wider regional war drawing in DRC's neighbours, and also fuelled anxiety over the fate of President Felix Tshisekedi's government. In March M23 travelled as far west as Walikale, an area rich in minerals including tin, putting the rebels within 400km of Kisangani, DRC's fourth-biggest city. The following month, however, M23 withdrew from Walikale, a decision the experts said was "taken following direct instruction from the Government of Rwanda, once again confirming Rwanda's command and control" over rebel operations. "This included strategic-level decision-making on whether to seize, hold, or relinquish territory, thereby demonstrating overall operational coordination and hierarchical subordination," the report said. The experts also accused DRC of relying on the FDLR and pro-government militia fighters known as Wazalendo, offering them money and logistics in violation of a sanctions regime. A DRC government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
DRC, Rwanda sign peace deal in US
PRETORIA - Congolese President, Felix Tshisekedi says a peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda will pave the way for a new era of stability. The deal is aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern DRC and the M23 rebel group's territorial gains in key cities including Goma.
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Eyewitness News
Holomisa says SANDF not in a fit state to defend the country if it is attacked
JOHANNESBURG - Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa said that the military was not in a fit state to defend the country if attacked due to outdated equipment and underfunding. However, Holomisa said the country was currently not under any threat of being attacked. South Africa's military conducts regular threat analysis to determine whether the country is at risk of attack from foreign or domestic enemies. Speaking on the Clement Manyathela Show on 702, Holomisa said the July 2021 unrest and the recent floods in the Eastern Cape "embarrassed" the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). READ: Motshekga assures Parliament that SANDF capable of defending SA "Soldiers being carried by military buses going to a violent situation, it showed the defence equipment is obsolete. I cannot give another explanation, and if we were to be attacked, yes, we would respond, but I am not that confident about the state of readiness of the SANDF. Let us not mislead the people. I am not here to spin, but I must tell you the truth." Holomisa said that part of the problem was that the military was not being properly funded. "Every (defence) minister I can think of, they have been complaining since time immemorial that the defence is declining. How many defence reviews have been produced and the National Treasury has just ignored? They even ignored the president in 2023, who said, the budget of defence must move from 0.57% of the GDP to 1.5% of the GDP."
